A guru in spring break!

Winkie has spring break this week. And I have been using the services of Kumari Aunty for an extra member of the family now. Its been 2 days and he's adjusted really well. In fact, he was quite excited to be going to Thambi's babysitting, and kept saying he couldn't believe he was going there. And I am just as taken with his innocence in finding delight in the situation, as I am with his flexibility in accepting it. Though somewhere inside I felt a little sad I guess, that he would probably get a little bored, and not be gainfully employed (ugh!), so I would pack him little things in his bag, so he would have something to do, besides play with 2 small kids. And thus, cursive writing books, dot to dot puzzles, a small notebook with math sums which I wrote in, and his Ramayana all found a way inside his regular school backpack alongwith his snack and lunch.

But it looks like I needn't have worried, either about him being bored, or of not being gainfully employed! For he found a guru for spring break.....a mentor twice his age, and an angel in every sense of the word. Kumari Aunty's son was also home for spring break, and rather than immerse himself in video games, or behind a paperback, or TV, or go off to play with his friends, this young pre-teen has taken it upon himself to tutor my son everyday. And its not just any random taking-under-the-wing giving of dictations or reading etc. It is a well thought out, resourceful, planned, professional enterprise, which just pulsates with dedication and involvement.

When I stepped into the house to pick them up, this young and handsome angel appeared at the door, with a sheaf of papers in his hand. Once his mother was done telling me what the boys ate and all that Thambi did, he stood next to me, and started talking. He had surfed the internet using google, located and printed out age appropriate worksheets, covered a range of areas, right from spelling, to reading poems, to math problems and more. The first leaf of paper contained a summary of the work they had done together, and it was dated, everything was sequentially laid out, and words like beginning sounds, word recognition, alphabet fun & reading readiness greeted my stunned eyes. Moreover, he had signed himself off as teacher and Winkie as student! In the pages that followed, all the work was laid out, and my eyes popped out when I saw that he had taught him the technique of double digits counting!! OMG!! He had graded each workpage with his stars and comments, he had even stamped little birds as a fun recognition for the little guy's work. Observing my amazement, he said that he would be working with him in this manner everyday.

!!!!!!

My admiration and appreciation for his efforts must have been in my eyes, for he blushed a little as I thanked him in no few words. He even commented that Winkie was a very good reader and was definitely above kindergarten level, which was the stamp Uma had made on him when she graduated him from her school. And coming from this guru too, I was immensely grateful and happy.

And beyond the immediate happiness of Winkie having constructive pursuits, which I could not immediately provide to him and learning new things, the real happiness lay in something else. In all this process of parenting, we, and by this I mean our generation of parents, invest so much of our thoughts to how we should bring up our children. We read parenting books and take peer advice and think through every decision we make, however small, for the effect that it will have on our kids. Sometimes, we overthink, over analyse, and overkill the more flowing and harmonious act of just being with our chidren. But we mean well by it. We want a happy, well adjusted, well rounded kid at the end of the day who will be of some value to society. In the process, we lay tremendous guilt on ourselves, when the littlest thing goes wrong. Beyond society and professional experts, we are the ones to lay sole pressure on ourselves to do better, be better, give better, always under the shadow of that ever lurking fear....that somehow we may end up psychologically damaging our children in some way. This is our fear is it not? I know that it is mine.

Today, and through incidents like this, my faith in myself and all of us as parents, and children is restored. When I see a young boy, on the threshold of being a young man, utilising his time off from school to be a loving mentor to a little kid, whom he has no obligation to give the time of day, I feel that this world is right. A 100 things may go wrong, and tragedies abound everywhere causing despair, but one single act of unselfish, unknowing service is enough to tip the scales and restore the balance, and make the love outpour! His parents are simple people. They are the kind that work hard everyday, the husband at work, the wife at home, and they try and provide the best for their children. This much one can gather based on an instinctual assessment of a home situation. Beyond that, I see no more complicated efforts, as being made. And if such a simple everyday flow can bring out the best in a child (with due consideration to his innate nature, of course!)...then there is indeed hope for us all, isn't there???

His name in short is Vidya, and he is conducting himself as the very personification of knowledge, teaching Winkie double digit additions, and goofy games with the soccer ball, and me.....to hope.

[Insert to add the link for the workbooks he printed : TLSBooks]